Week in Review: Hello denial, it’s been a while
October 8th-14th
I might have started this week on the good old denial train. Am I really racing this weekend? Is it really a half marathon? 13.1 miles? Really.
Yep really.
I’m not going to act like I was ready for this week to happen. Everything seemed to somehow be falling into pieces and yet at the same time fall into place. The upcoming race weekend was shaping up to be nothing like I planned which is part of the fun right?
But let’s start with everyone’s favorite day: Monday. Rest. Not shocking people.
Tuesday? Easy 7. Again no surprises.
I was actually looking forward to Wednesday’s workout. It was an easy 5 at half marathon goal pace. For the most part it went well but I could tell the legs were a bit tired (or maybe that’s just my nervous paranoia?)
Thursday and easy 7: nothing new yet.
Friday and easy 20 minutes (yippee!) a short day at the office and off to the airport.
The trip to SFO is a pretty easy one. As you may remember I signed up for the race with my friend Jules but due to some last-minute change of plans we weren’t going to be able to room together. I was going to room with a gal I knew from ESR and her friend and then my friend Lauren was going to crash with us for a night.
lau_rider
We were all part of a larger group of girls whom I really didn’t know. Let the adventure begin! The gals ended-up being great, what was maybe not so great were our accommodations.
Shout out to the Metropolis hotel my I never, ever see you gain. Nothing personal, you were clean but I really don’t like being asked if I want drugs every time I enter or leave my hotel. I really want to be able to turn right when I leave my hotel. I like my bed to be full length and not practically touching my neighbor’s bed. I don’t want to sleep with ear plugs. I don’t want to roll up towels to place at the base of my door so I don’t have to smell what my neighbors are inhaling (especially the night before the race). I don’t want you to give my paid room to a stranger and when I tell you my card key isn’t working I’d at least like you to ask for my name and would love if you would check my photo ID. And maybe not give me someone else’s key.
Yep… I’m that excited about ear plugs…
Enough of that…
Friday night was a fun one. I met-up with some of my Nuun peeps (Nuun was the electrolyte sponsor for the race). They were fantastic offering to pick me up in a cab (even though I was like a block away). Okay, that might have been my directionally challenged fault. We grabbed drinks and dinner and I was back and in bed by 10:30.
Saturday morning I couldn’t convince anyone to run with me but I needed to loosen the legs up. I asked the hotel for directions to the water and managed to go the wrong way. I figured it out pretty quickly and was off in the right direction.
The funny think about a shakeout run is that there are a lot of other people doing the same thing (shake out runs) and for some reason they feel the need to race you. I’m not sure if it’s all the nervous energy but there were a lot of people who working just a bit too hard the day before the race.
It was amazing run though…
After the run I managed to meet-up with my friend Jules and her fam for breakfast and the expo. The expo was a zoo so we said hi to our Nuun peeps and the left. We made a quick trip to Nike and back to the hotel to rest.
It was about 2 when we returned and I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch and that might not be the best thing the day before the race. It can be hard knowing what to eat when you can’t eat gluten and you’re in new town. Lucky for me Nordstrom’s was right around the corner and I knew I’d find something safe at their restaurant.
I was pretty exhausted by this point and tried to relax but it’s Saturday in October which of course means football.
So… I met up with the gang, watched a heartbreaking game and then met-up with my bestie who just happened to be in town for a baby shower.
She had dinner with me, I had a minor meltdown (the kind only reserved for one’s very best friend who now lives miles and miles away) and then was on my way back to the hotel for some sleep ( but not before drooling over my besties new purple Prada… it’s pretty amazing).
Sunday I raced so I won’t bore you again with those details but here’s what I’ll leave ya with…
This was a LONG weekend. I’m fairly certain time stood still or may have in fact gone backwards. It truly was amazing. Race wise I was really proud of myself for pushing through what wasn’t my most perfect day. It was nice to move forward past that other half in May.
It was also great to hang out with new friends and have some good laughs. I hear people say they hate running all the time and that they think I’m crazy. I might be. But what they don’t get are all the relationships you make along the way. I think of my high school teammates, college teammates, local running groups and now people I’ve met through this little blog. And those are the moments I remember most.
It reminds me a lot of my dad and his running group. I might have just been about the luckiest girl ever to get run with her dad and his friends. I still miss running with them. I’m not sure I’d be the person I am today without them.
Okay… geez now I’m getting all emotional… since I’m bad at conclusions…
run pretty run fast (and find some running peeps)
Total miles… 48???
